Antonio Conte says that the scudetto race is “a good pressure” for Napoli to have, because they look at the leaders Inter.
The Partenopei are six points on Drift by Simone Inzaghi's side, which expanded their advantage with a 3-1 victory over Cagliari on Saturday.
Nevertheless, Napoli can reduce the deficiency again to three points by beating relegation-threatened Empoli in Stadio Diego Armando Maradona on Monday.
Inter wants to complete a treble this season, with the Nerazzurri also in the hunt to win the Coppa Italia and Champions League.
The Nerazzurri are currently the favorites to win Serie A, according to the OPTA Supercomputer, at 83.3%, with Napoli's hope to achieve the Scudetto at 16.6%.
As a result, Conte believes that his side goes beyond their expectations, because the battle for the Serie A Glorie intensifies.
“We are the direct opponents of Inter and will try to do something extraordinary to put that pressure on them,” he told reporters during his press conference before the game.
“It means that we are doing remarkably well, in a situation where we are asked to go beyond our possibilities to keep a team that has proven that it has been built to also win everything in Europe.
“It's a good pressure to be. There is enthusiasm among the fans, the dream to compete for the Scudetto shot them up. We have this pressure, this battle for nerves, and we also have to enjoy fighting for something important.
“The fans can feel that the team goes beyond its limitations, and that can only be appreciated.”
On Monday in Napoli are in 18th place Empoli, who wins this calendar year without a Serie A.
Nevertheless, Conte insists that his side cannot take their opponents as a matter of course, especially in such a crucial phase in the season.
“There are dangers in every game, as from now on to the end of the campaign, each team has an objective that it has to achieve, whether it is fighting for safety, a place in Europe or the Scudetto,” he added.
“We have been fairly consistent this season. There were spells where we had a number of consecutive victories, but the fact is that we are there, which means that our journey has been a very good one.
“Empoli will come here with pulled knives, so it's a very difficult fixture, because each point can be the difference between safety and relegation at this stage.
“It is always more difficult in the second half of the season, because there is more strategic thinking, the games are less open. We have all studied each other carefully at the moment.”
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